Two police squad cars – one on the north side, one on the south side – will deliver free books to kids. It's part of the Kids, Community, and Cops program.

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Why do this?

Organizers of the program see at least two benefits.

Little Free Library (a national non-profit based in Hudson, Wisconsin) says research shows that as kids read more, they get in trouble less. Easy access to books is a way to promote reading.

Also, having police officers provide the books gets kids and cops interacting in a friendly way.

"As we aim to connect with our community members outside of crisis calls, I believe these mobile Libraries will give the MPD another great bridge to help us connect," Minneapolis Police Chief Madaria Arradondo said in a statement.

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Todd Bol, the executive director of Little Free Library, told KSTP: "What I really hope 20 years from now, is that when most of the kids of Minneapolis look back at police they remember them as nice people who brought them books."